As others have already said, it doesn't feel complete when compared to Civ V with 2 expansions. Perhaps that's not a fair comparison, but after playing two games of BE, I'm ready to play Civ V until BE gets a few more expansions.

Some of the new elements are neat, but need to be reworked. It was a bad idea to implement the optional functions of each building as quests. It's confusing, and makes it difficult to plan ahead. Overall, quests are just poorly implemented. Most of them are simply associated with doing what you would normally do in a Civ game. In the future, options for buildings should be separated from interactions with other players.

The tech web is also really confusing. They need to make it easier for decisions to be made at a glance, and make it clearer what research leads to what benefit. I get that it's impossible to make research as intuitive as it is in history-based Civ games, but there has got to be a way to improve it so that I can look at a tech and know that it's going to help me improve my civ's health, or power generation, or whatever. So far, I spend way too much time trying to navigate the web to figure out what branch grants me a certain benefit.

How did I miss this topic? The matter is resolved, but I was quite involved in the process. I'm an American who was working for the Scottish Parliament, in an SNP office. My old boss was, as you might expect, heartbroken by the result. It was a very decisive vote. I think it's very positive that, in the year 2014, a nation was able to vote on its own independence, and then peacefully accept the results. Furthermore, a yes vote could have been destabilizing for all of Europe, so I think this might be for the best.

I respect anyone who defines what "Final Fantasy" is a bit more liberally than I do. I've been waiting a while for a game that aligns with my own definition though, and it has been a bit of a lonely wait. Watching this trailer, I felt like I was watching a trailer for a Final Fantasy game. The visuals, the character designs, the monsters simply look like the next Final Fantasy game. I like how Encephalon put it:

Reminds me of FFVIII, with its breezy euro charm. I much prefer a more grounded riff on real-world architecture to the neon future stylings of FFXIII. The character designs are a bit much with everyone in color-matching black leather, but it's a welcome come-down from Kingdom Hearts' unbridled gaudiness.

Agreed on every point.

And then, when that prelude music starts at the end...

I'm looking forward to this one.

Oh, and one final note: They had better work in the victory fanfare. XIII didn't and that me the biggest of the game's many flaws.

As much as I love JRPGs, they have pretty silly stories. I'm usually in it more for the characters than anything else. Final Fantasy VIII is dear to my heart, but I have a love/hate relationship with the story. Disc 1 contains some of the best few hours of gaming I've ever experienced. I loved the rivalry between Squall and Seifer. I found Seifer's motivations to be fresh for a JRPG, and very human. When I firs played the game, I easily related with Squall, as both of us had a tough time talking to pretty brunettes. Then disc two waltzes on in, throws in the whole GF making every character forget that they've known each other since childhood and now they've been reunited to save the world and time traveling witches and NORG. It's just awful.

FFIX was good. The game focuses on each character and their individual struggles. I loved the way the game explores existence, with Zidane and Vivi having both been created.

Oh, and I'll throw out a curve ball: Paper Mario 2. Less for the main plot, which is the same as most other Mario games. I loved how each chapter of the game was a fun, self-contained story, each with its own quirks and names for Mario. There was also the subplot where the AI falls in love with Peach. TTYD is a seriously underrated game.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Shovel Knight's difficulty. It was challenging, but never to the point of being frustrating. I did feel that the boss fights were fa too easy. Staying with the Mega Man comparison, the series' Robot Masters were, generally, fair. They were difficult, but once you knew the set pattern (or had their weakness in your arsenal) it wasn't too difficult to take them down. I didn't ever feel challenged against Shovel Knight's bosses, as it was simply too easy to take advantage of the game's mechanics (Polar Knight is an exception for me, the floor spikes made him tougher).

Probably the games which had the most memorable music for me personally would be Castlevania 1, 2, and 3. So amazing.

But for what I probably consider the best music on the NES, it's another song from Tim Follin, except it's the intro music to an actually good game, Solstice. The intro:

Oh, damn you. I was going to post the Solstice theme. It's one of my favorite pieces of NES music, and not one I expected anyone else to share.

Well, since my initial choice is taken, and I don't want to say Mega Man, Castlevania, or anything like that (which everyone already know have great soundtracks), here's one of my childhood favorites, Captain Skyhawk. It's got some great tunes.